In 2017, the cookie bakery, Crumbl, opened for the first time, becoming wildly popular due to a variety of factors: its appealing aesthetic that blew up on social media, its iconic branding, and most importantly, its unique system of rotating flavors every week.  After a friend recommended the chain to me multiple times, my interest was finally piqued—what makes them so good?  

When my Crumbl adventure first started, the rotation included “milk chocolate chip,” “original ft M&M’s Peanuts,” “classic pink sugar,” “chocolate cake batter,” “Kentucky butter cake (cookie),” and interestingly, a “lemon blackberry cake.”  (I was surprised to learn that in late 2023, the company had undergone a rebrand, expanding their products beyond cookies, including the lemon blackberry cake that I ordered.)  Upon trying each, nothing about them stood out besides their unconventional size and myriad flavors.  While an average cookie is around 3 inches, the Crumbl ones are massive in comparison, with each being around 4 ½-5 inches.  The texture was just to my liking—not too soft, not too hard—and was in my opinion, the best part of the cookies. 

Unfortunately, that was their only selling point.  Take their supposedly iconic pink sugar cookie, for example—besides the texture, it has no “wow” factor.  In fact, I found it too sweet, which ended up overwhelming my taste buds and was my complaint for the rest of the group, as well.  My personal favorite cookie, though, was the Kentucky butter cake, which, as per the official description, is a “yellow butter cake cookie dripping in a melt-in-your-mouth buttery glaze.”  I think that the simplicity of the cookie itself made appreciating well-done texture easier.  Overall, my rating for the cookies was a solid 6/10.  Despite the unique flavors and sizes, they were still just cookies—and to warrant a higher score from me, Crumbl really needs to do batter.  While I understand that the flavor of the desserts is up to personal preference, I can’t help but feel that the cookies simply aren’t exceptional enough for all the hype surrounding them—and more importantly, the price.

Crumbl’s problems aren’t limited to their taste, though.  Recently, the company has found itself in a litany of trouble, including lawsuits accusing it of disclosing customer data without consent, stealing other bakery’s ideas, and poor training and conditions for employees.  On top of that, multiple stores have closed down in various locations due to the lack of public interest and profitability.  While the hype may have initially propelled the company’s popularity, the chain seems to be past its golden days.  As the store’s average revenue continues to drop (with a 37% decrease from 2022 to 2023), I personally can’t help but wonder when the overrated fad of Crumbl will, indeed, crumble.